As a
marketer, and former Chipotle customer I have been watching their struggles of
the past few years with great interest.
This
week they introduced their new spring campaign.
You can look at the commercial here…
Hmm. The first rule in marketing is to clearly
segment and identify your target. I
would hope that Chipotle is attempting to target their heavy users as they
should be the easiest target for the company to persuade, since the easiest
sale is to get current customers to use you more.
The
next step is to develop a motivating consumer insight, based on research. Consumer insights are something the target
thinks or feels that can be used to make an emotional connection with
them. This is the most important part of
the communications strategy because research tells us that all decision-making
is emotional.
Since
data suggests that heavy users have not returned to the brand following a
string of food preparation issues that led to customer illnesses it seems
likely to me that this is the insight.
Simply put, “I am afraid that eating your food will make me sick.”
Unfortunately
this new campaign fails to address this concern, or even acknowledge that it
exists. Instead it focuses on the fact
that their ingredients are fresh.
Doesn’t everyone already know that?
And isn’t it in fact the reason Chipotle is having health issues in the
first place? How can ignoring the
problem be productive or useful?
Perhaps
they think our memories are so short we don’t remember what has been happening? Or do they think snarky humor will provide
enough of a connection with their customers to overcome health concerns?
It was
my understanding that part of the reason heavy users did not return to the
brand was that precautions taken to prevent future outbreaks negatively
affected the taste of the food. So
perhaps Chipotle thinks reinforcing the fact that some of their ingredients are
fresh will translate into better taste in the customer’s mind.
But,
without addressing the elephant in the room I don’t think it will work. And I have to wonder if anyone bothered to do
any research before developing these rather generic commercials. My guess is that consumer testimonials would
have been more effective. Perhaps they will
try that next after this approach fails.
Here
are the previous blogs about Chipotle with links…
1/20/17
It's
about time Chipotle hired a new agency.
As a
former light user I have been following the Chipotle story closely. I loved their introductory ad and began
eating there after seeing it on the Grammy's.
But their second ad "Scarecrow" made me never want to eat
again anywhere.
Then
came the health scares. I haven't been
back since. But I am fascinated by the
fact that heavy users have not returned to the fold either. Clearly freebies didn't do the trick. Nor the video they brought out last summer,
which seemed to be completely tone deaf and more than a little confusing and
boring.
So now
they are going to start fresh with Venables Bell & Partners. (Coffee, 2017) Sounds like a good idea to me. But I think they have their work cut out for
them. My classes have wondered whether
it is even possible for a restaurant chain to carry fresh local sourced food,
and have suggested closing stores until they can get it right. Yikes.
Coffee,
P. (2017, January 19) Chipotle Picks
Venables Bell & Partners, MullenLowe Mediahub To Help Turn Its Brand
Around. adweek.com. Retrieved January 19, 2017, from http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/chipotle-picks-venables-bell-partners-mullenlowe-mediahub-help-turn-its-brand-around-175645
**********************************************************************************************
7/8/16
Does
Chipotle's new video make you want to eat there again?
After
a series of food contamination incidents that began last summer and extended
through this March, Chipotle's same store sales for 1st Q were down 30% and its
stock was down 35%.
In May
they started offering freebies after realizing that their heavy users weren't
coming back. Here's the blog I wrote then...
I
haven't heard if it's working, but this week they released a new four minute
video that they are hoping will help.
Development of the video began 18 months ago, before the problems
started. It goes back to the brand's
initial positioning and message -- the superiority of Chipotle's fresh natural
ingredients over typical fast food. (Lukovitz, 2016)
If you
haven't seen it yet, you can check it out here...
I have
mixed feelings about Chipotle's past video efforts. I voted their introductory ad, which aired on
the 2012 Grammy's best ad of the year.
It's a great example of superior storytelling and since it persuaded
even me to give them a try, it's no surprise that sales increased by 23% in the
first half of that year.
Here's
the blog and video...
But, I
thought their Scarecrow video, released in 2013, was an epic fail since it
reminded me of Soylent Green and made me never want to eat again.
Here's
that blog and video (the link to the video still works) ...
So,
what do you think? Does the new video
work? Is it successfully conveying the
brand positioning? If you stopped eating
at Chipotle, will it make you want to start again? If not, what will?
Lukovitz,
K. (2016, July 6) Chipotle Releases New
Video; Faces New PR Challenge. mediapost.com. Retrieved June 7, 2016, from http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/279709/chipotle-releases-new-video-faces-new-pr-challeng.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=94424
